


The Definition of A Prank

by LiterallyThePresident



Series: Connection [9]
Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: Ghosts, Pranks and Practical Jokes, The gang scares the humans more than they mean to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:54:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22273666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: Scary stories, a prank, and an eventful night
Series: Connection [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566988
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	The Definition of A Prank

“They say,” Dan grinned, the flashlight lit under his face in the pitch black of the room, “that every year on the anniversary of her death, she appears at that corner of the road. And that all who see her... are doomed to  _die_ _.”_ The humans allowed a moment of tense silence before descending into snickers, and the spell was broken. Ace and Baron joined in on the laughter, Baron a bit more nervously than Ace. Mira was not present, having made an excuse so she could prepare for the grand prank they’d cooked up for the humans.

“I have one!” Marucho grinned, oblivious to the anticipation between Ace and Baron, “There’s a bridge somewhere in the States, I don’t remember the name. But one night, a family was driving over it, when something happened, and the car went into the water.”

“Were they okay?” Ace asked, although he got the sense he already knew the answer.

“Unfortunately the entire family perished.” Marucho said, casting his voice low, “They say that if you drive to the middle of the bridge at exactly two am, the exact time they died, and put your car in park, the family will appear in the backseat of your own car, only visible in the rear view mirror.” Ace shivered despite himself, the image an unpleasant one.

“What happens then?” Baron asked, and Marucho giggled.

“Then you gotta drive away as quickly as possible.” he answered, “Or you’ll die like them. Once you clear the bridge, they’ll vanish, leaving only a wet spot on your seat.”

“Why are your ghosts so violent and creepy?” Ace complained, and Baron nodded in agreement. Shun smiled then, eyes crinkling.

“You want violent and creepy?” he laughed, “Have you ever heard the legend of the white kimono game?”

“The what?” Baron blinked.

“Oh, I know this.” Ace straightened, “A kimono is a kind of Japanese garment, right?”

“That’s right.” Shun smiled with approval, and Ace felt a thrill of pride.

“And it has a game?” Baron asked curiously.

“The kimono is really just a part of the name.” Shun chuckled, “Not really important.”

“Tell us about the game!” Marucho exclaimed, visibly excited, and Shun leaned in and brought his voice down to a quiet whisper. Dan excitedly aimed the flashlight at his face, and the atmosphere was aided by the unpleasant reminder that human eyes didn’t reflect light.

“It’s one of those games that uses the four corners of a room to summon a spirit.” he started, voice low and theatric, “It’s a game that utilizes dreams, so its advised to master lucid dreaming before attempting this game.”

“Lucid dreaming?” Baron whispered, and Marucho whispered back to him.

“The ability to control your dreams.” he explained quietly.

“The white kimono is really a _kyōkatabira.”_ Shun grinned, the light casting eerie shadows on his face, “A funeral shroud. What you need for the ritual is simple; a totally dark room with exactly four corners, a light source easily switched on and off, and a good sense of direction.”

“How do you play?” Baron asked in a whisper, eyes wide with excitement, and Shun grinned.

“You start just after midnight.” he murmured, “You close the door of your chosen room and lay down with the light off, but close by. Look at the ceiling, and then slowly shift your gaze to each corner of the room, counterclockwise. North, west, south, east. Do this three times, and then fold your arms across your chest.”

“What happens next?” Baron asked, eyes shining with curiosity. Dan and Marucho were also listening rapt, Dan looking a little nervous, but trying valiantly to hide it.

“Next, you repeat a specific chant three times.” Shun continued, “I’m not gonna repeat it, because I’m not an idiot. As you chant, picture a woman in your mind. She has long black hair, and a white kimono stained almost completely through with blood.” he turned to Baron then, eyes bright with mischief. 

“Picture her walking towards you.” he whispered, “Getting closer. And closer. And closer. Until she’s right... in front of you.” Baron swallowed, and Ace had to admit that the image Shun was painting was rather unnerving. And then rather than the jump-scare Ace was expecting, Shun smiled.

“And then uncross your arms.” he said easily, “Turn off the lights, and go to sleep.”

“Oh god, she’s a dream monster?” Dan groaned as Ace wondered if that was a thing, “Like Freddy Krueger?”

“Scarier, I’d say.” Shun chuckled, “Because if you see this woman in your dream that night, it means your invitation was successful. You’re allowed to look at her, but there are rules you need to follow.”

“What kind of rules?” Marucho asked. Baron crossed his arms with a huff, unhappy that this was a supernatural game he couldn’t play. 

“First, it is imperative that you  _do not_ speak to her.” Shun said, his expression dead-serious, “You do not speak to her, you do not tell her your name, and you do not allow her to get close or whisper in your ear.”

“What happens if she does?” Baron asked as Dan shivered exaggeratedly.

“If she starts to whisper in your ear, you must wake up immediately.” Shun answered, “Wake up and examine the four corners of the room. Look for a shadow, one that shouldn’t be there. If you don’t see one, you’re safe, and must never attempt that ritual again. If you do see one, you need to turn the lights on immediately, and never allow yourself to be alone in the dark ever again.”

“Ever?” Dan asked in a whisper, and Shun nodded gravely.

“Never.” he said, and Baron blinked.

“What happens if you can’t wake up in time?” he asked.

“Then you’ll suffer a horrible fate too grotesque to speak of.” Shun answered, and Marucho and Dan clutched each other with a gasp.

“What?” Ace blinked, “Wait, the ghost murders you? Why... Oh, right.” he remembered once again that humans saw the dead differently than vestals. How strange it must be, to live in constant fear of the dead, “So why would anyone do this game?”

“Because people are idiots.” Shun shrugged, “They want a thrill, or bragging rights. It’s stupid.”

“That woman must be really angry, to hurt people like that.” Baron said sadly, “Or she just wants to be left alone.”

“Maybe.” Dan said, stretching and trying to act like he hadn’t been terrified by Shun’s story, “Or maybe she’s just a dick. If I died and some kids kept summoning me to their dreams, I’d start killing them too.”

“What is it about your afterlife that makes your ghosts go crazy?” Ace asked, half curious and half annoyed. The humans seemed to think about his question, to their credit. He knew they each had their own separate and unique cultures, so they likely had different views.

“Life after death is... a controversial idea.” Dan shrugged after a moment, “Everyone has their own idea of what it is.”

“Like what?” Ace asked, and Dan shrugged.

“I dunno, Shun’s the book guy. Shun, quote something cool about the afterlife.”

“This French author whose name escapes me wrote of Hell, ‘ _So this is hell. I'd never have believed it. You remember all we were told about the torture-chambers, the fire and brimstone, the burning marl. Old wives' tales. There's no need for red-hot pokers. Hell is other people.’_ ” he quoted easily

“Hell is other people?” Ace repeated skeptically, and Shun opened his mouth to elaborate, but that’s when Mira appeared behind him, and Ace knew the prank was ready to commence. Mira was dressed all in white, a black head wrap concealing her bright hair, mimicking the unkempt black tangles of the vengeful ghost from an Earth illustration Baron had picked out. She quietly tiptoed into the room, soundless as the wind, fighting down her smile admirably.

This was gonna be good.

Ace and Baron both looked at her over the humans’ heads and feigned looks of shock, hiding their mischievous laughter valiantly until the confused humans all turned to see what they were looking at.

What happened next somehow managed to take the vestals by surprise.

The humans  _reacted_ _._ Dan scrambled back with a shriek, eyes wide and terrified as he scurried away as fast as he could. Marucho immediately bolted for the door, stopped only by the lock the vestals had engaged to help the prank. He settled for pressing against the wall with a squeak, staring at the unrecognizable Mira with an expression of absolute terror. Shun reacted a little more violently, picking up the nearest chair and hurling it towards Mira with a yelp of startled fear. Mira shrieked and dodged the chair, but Shun reached for another projectile, this time a trash can, and threw it at her as well. Dan had already thrown himself between his vestal friends and the ‘ghost’, arms thrown wide as if that would protect them. Mira dodged all of Shun’s throws, the sounds of indignant surprise she made somehow only adding to the ghostly illusion.

“Go away!” Dan yelled at her, and Ace saw that he was visibly shaking, “Begone! Leave! Fuck off? We’ll end you!” Mira, to her credit, recovered from the surprise of having things thrown at her, although she didn’t seem to know what to do next. Human ghosts were weird and behaved strangely, so in the end she just stood there, staring at them, for lack of anything else to do. It only seemed to scare the humans more.

“Ace.” Shun hissed at him, eyes wide and uncharacteristically worried as Dan kept yelling at Mira, “Take the others and run, I’ll distract it.”

“Wait-“ Ace tried, starting to think this had been a bad idea, but Shun was up and shoving Dan behind him, fists raised like he actually intended to fight an incorporeal spirit.

“God I hope this works.” Shun whispered to himself, and as Dan hurried towards Ace, Shun started reciting a string of words that meant nothing to Ace. It almost sounded like a prayer, or maybe a chant. It sounded melodic, despite the unfamiliar language. Maybe it was an Earth language, and the translators simply couldn’t find the right words to substitute.

“Ace.” Dan grabbed him and Baron by the arms hard enough to hurt, “We need to go.  _ Now .” _

“No, we really don’t-“ Baron tried nervously, but he was interrupted by a noise of genuine worry from Shun.

“It’s not working, Dan!” Shun yelled, casting around the room for something to help, “Ace, what are some vestal banishing chants?”

“We don’t-Okay, guys, enough.” Ace tried, figuring the prank had gone on long enough. Pranking them was one thing, but his friends seemed genuinely afraid, and that was where he drew the line. Marucho was crying softly against the wall, and Dan’s breathing was labored as he looked to Shun, who looked more afraid than Ace had ever seen him. It was jarring. Even Mira looked concerned, glancing to Ace as if to ask if they were stopping now. 

“Guys, this is all a big misunderstanding.” Baron said, trying for a reassuring smile. But Dan seemed to misinterpret him.

“Baron, I know vestals ghosts are nice or whatever, but you take a look at that thing and try to tell me it’s friendly.” Dan snapped, pulling at him, “We need to  go , Shun forget about fighting it and  _ run! ” _

“Okay, enough.” Mira finally spoke up, reaching up to pull at the headwrap, revealing her bright hair, “Guys, this was a stupid idea.” The humans had gone very still, staring at Mira with varying expressions of shock and dismay.

“Mira?” Shun asked quietly, eyes narrowing. Mira looked guilty, and Ace would have gone to her if not for Dan’s hand still clutching his bicep in a death grip.

“We... thought it would be a funny prank.” she said sheepishly, “We didn’t think you’d all react so strongly.”

“Wait.” Dan blinked, “It was a prank?” Marucho was still sniffling, but his big blue eyes were looking at them with something akin to betrayal.

“Yeah...” Baron shifted sheepishly, “We thought it would be funnier than it actually was...” A moment of tense silence hung in the air, no one seeming willing to break it, and then Marucho spoke up with a squeaky voice. 

“A Shinto prayer?” he turned to look at Shun, eyes misty and lip wobbling dangerously, “Did you actually think that would work on a vestal ghost? You’re not even religious!”

“Oh, excuse me.” Shun snapped back at him, nerves still clearly on end, “Sorry for panicking, but at least I’m not the one that ran for the door at the first sign of trouble. At least I tried something instead of leaving my friends to die!” The sudden argument rattled the others. Marucho wasn’t the confrontational type, and Shun wasn’t easily baited into arguments. 

“I assumed you’d all run too! Because I thought you were smart!” Marucho yelled, and the vestals exchanged nervous looks, unsure about whether or not to intevene. Dan sighed, like this was something he’d had to deal with before. 

“O-Okay, let’s calm down.” he tried to sound reassuring, his voice still shaky but his smile steady, “We’re just a little rattled, just keyed up from adrenaline. We got pranked, that’s fine. It was just a prank. A good prank, right? Come on, it was a good prank. Rude, but good. Right, guys?” 

“It... was.” Shun grudgingly admitted before deflating with a sigh, “Yeah. Yeah it was, I guess.”

“I guess.” Marucho grumbled, eyes red and cast downwards. Dan smiled, though it was a little strained.

“I know tensions get high when we’re scared, but fighting won’t solve anything.” he said, “Look at you, you’re making me play the peacekeeper, surely you don’t want that.” Shun took a deep breath, making a visible effort to collect himself.

“Marucho, I’m... sorry for yelling at you.” he said after a moment of awkward silence, “It was immature of me.”

“No, I-I started it. I’m sorry too.” Marucho wiped at his eyes, “You’re right, I shouldn’t have run.”

“No, you were smart to run.” Shun sighed, the last of his defensiveness falling away as his shoulders slumped, “I was just jumpy with adrenaline without a target. Running was the good choice, I was just being stupid, thinking I could protect the others from a ghost.”

“At least you tried to protect them.” Marucho sniffled, tears beginning to fill his eyes again, much to Ace’s alarm, “God, I really just ran, didn’t I? Just ran and left you, like a coward.”

“Hey, none of that.” Shun laid a hand on his shoulder, “You’re the guy that survives the horror movie. I’m the idiot that gets killed by the ghost.” Marucho sniffled, and then he darted forward to wrap his arms tightly around Shun’s waist. Shun hugged him back, the last of their tension melting away. Dan let out a relieved breath, stepping forward to wrap them up in his arms. The vestals exchanged guilty glances, knowing they were in for it.

“So.” Marucho said calmly as the hug ended, turning to look at them with steely eyes, “How about we all sit down and discuss the definition of a prank, hm?”

“Yes, Marucho.” they chimed morosely, downcast. 

**Author's Note:**

> Not super proud of this one but I’m tired of having it in my wips lmao


End file.
